Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, Kattenburgerstraat 5, 1018 JA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Environ Sci Technol. 2020 Dec 1;54(23):14854-14861. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05385. Epub 2020 Nov 10.
The provision of urban water and wastewater services contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Urban water supply and wastewater utilities can potentially achieve low-carbon or carbon-neutral operation through many "utility opportunities". Outside the jurisdiction of water utilities, many water-related "wider opportunities" can also contribute to GHG emissions abatement for cities. This study aims to explore the GHG emissions abatement potential, cost effectiveness, and enabling factors of implementing wider opportunities in cities. Using Amsterdam as a case study, we developed a marginal abatement cost curve to compare the abatement potential and cost effectiveness of both utility and wider opportunities. The results show that many wider opportunities related to thermal energy, water end use, and life cycle are cost-effective with significant abatement potential, compared to utility opportunities. This case study and emerging worldwide examples show that the water industry has a role to play to support wider water-related opportunities in cities. This vision can be supported by developing mechanisms to credit utilities for wider opportunity initiatives, building inter- and intrasectoral partnerships for utilities, accounting for scope 3 emissions of utilities, and being open to extend utilities' role beyond water and wastewater services providers.
城市供水和污水处理服务的提供会导致温室气体（GHG）排放。通过许多“公用事业机会”，城市供水和污水公用事业有可能实现低碳或碳中和运营。在水公用事业管辖范围之外，许多与水相关的“更广泛机会”也可以为城市的温室气体减排做出贡献。本研究旨在探索实施更广泛机会的减排潜力、成本效益和促成因素。我们以阿姆斯特丹为例，开发了一条边际减排成本曲线，以比较公用事业机会和更广泛机会的减排潜力和成本效益。结果表明，与公用事业机会相比，许多与热能、水终端用途和生命周期相关的更广泛机会具有成本效益，且减排潜力巨大。这个案例研究和全球范围内涌现的新范例表明，水务行业在支持城市中更广泛的水相关机会方面可以发挥作用。这一愿景可以通过制定机制为公用事业的更广泛机会举措提供信用、为公用事业建立跨部门和部门内的伙伴关系、核算公用事业的范围 3 排放以及愿意扩大公用事业的角色范围超出供水和污水处理服务提供商来得到支持。
